


nyctophobia (into the light of the dark black night)

by orphan_account



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 21:32:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/931314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“See, the thing about birthdays is they're totally an annual thing,” Newt explained, handing Hermann his latte.  “And I've known you for, what, twelve years?  Thirteen?”</p><p>“Fifteen,” Hermann interjected tersely.  “And a half.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	nyctophobia (into the light of the dark black night)

 

“See, the thing about birthdays is they’re totally an annual thing,” Newt explained, handing Hermann his latte.  “And I’ve known you for, what, twelve years?  Thirteen?”

“Fifteen,” Hermann interjected tersely.  “And a half.”

Derailed for a moment, Newt’s mouth hung open.  “What, do you know the anniversary off the top of your head?”

“August the sixth.  Three o’clock in the afternoon.”  Hermann sipped at his coffee as if he hadn’t said anything unordinary.  “Oh, here’s the train, Newton.  Let’s not miss it like last time.”

“I’m just saying,” Newt started again as they teetered down the narrow hallway toward their seats, despite the look of warning in Hermann’s eyes, “I’ve known you for a decade and a half and I never once thought about asking you when your birthday is.”

“Life and death situations do tend to make one forgetful,” Hermann said lightly and took his ever present Physics Weekly magazine out from the crook of his arm and opened it with a snap of his wrist.

“Um, dude,” Newt said, “When the fuck is your birthday.”

“I’m reading, Newton,” Hermann replied through gritted teeth.

“Yeah except you really should tell me,” Newt suggested.  “As your friend—your, uh, whatever—I’d like to know, y’know?”

“What does it matter?” Hermann snapped, nose almost brushing the glossy pages.  “It is of absolutely no consequence.  Now leave me be, I am _reading._ ”

Newt gaped at Hermann for a moment, but, seeing as he was unlikely to get much more out of him, resigned himself to playing Tetris until they arrived at the hotel.

 

* * *

 

“What do you keep in here?  A foldable blackboard?”  Newt heaved Hermann’s extra bag over his shoulder, wincing.

“I was sure to leave the less important bricks behind,” Hermann said, squinting up at the sun.

“Yeah, yeah, hilarious,” Newt muttered.  “C’mon, I’m gonna go boss around a bellhop and feel like a badass.”

“Ah, humiliating someone _else_ in public, that’s refreshing,” Hermann mocked, but did end up following Newt, a curled lip that was dangerously close to a smile curving his face.

 

* * *

 

In the dark—because Hermann hated it when Newt could see him in the light—Newt mapped out Hermann’s body with his colorful hands and rubbed his thumb against the misshapen bones that made up Hermann’s knee. 

Since the drift, Newt had trouble telling the difference between their gasps, the puffs of breath that made their lips cold when they smiled against each other’s mouths in a fervent, freezing kiss.

 

* * *

 

“So, you gonna tell me when your birthday is?  Or should I start guessing?  Only 365 choices, can’t be too hard.”

Newt looked at Hermann expectantly, but Hermann, curled in a blanket at his tablet computer, only spared him a sharp glare before resuming his furious typing.

Newt frowned.  “February?  November?  Give me a hint, dude.”

“April.  Now leave me alone.”  Hermann didn’t look up from his typing, his fingers moving at a speed which looked unnatural.

“April what?”  Newt put his chin on top of Hermann’s head, looking down at the lines of math that exploded from Hermann’s brain and onto the page.

Hermann hissed a sigh through his teeth in exasperation.  “Why do you _care?_ ”

“Because I like you,” Newt explained into Hermann’s hair.  “What, is that a crime?”

“Yes,” Hermann snapped and typed an angry line of algebra.  Newt gave up.

“Well, I guess I’m guilty, then.  You want tea?”

He peeled himself from the back of Hermann’s chair and shuffled into the kitchen, and he could almost hear the sound of Hermann deciding to let go of the argument.

“Only if you at least consider adding less than five spoonfuls of sugar,” Hermann called out eventually, and Newt smirked to himself when he added too much honey, instead.

 

* * *

 

In the dark—because Hermann liked the dark—Newt touched Hermann’s face and wished he could see his expression.  He imagined it was glorious.

 

* * *

 

“Hermaaaaann,” Newt whined.  “You’ve been sitting there glaring at your computer for a really, really long time.  I’m bored, and you’re not having a lot of success with your math.  Let’s do something awesome.”

Hermann shut his tablet off with a slam of his left palm, and threw it across the room with something akin to a battle cry.  Newt ducked, even though it hit a spot three or so feet away from his head, wide-eyed as Hermann flopped onto his back in aggravation.

“Newton,” Hermann said, sounding fairly level headed, “If you do not have sex with me this very instant, I shall spontaneously combust out of sheer frustration.”

“Spontaneous combustion isn’t a thing you can do out of spite,” Newt pointed out, although he was already wriggling out of his shirt.

“I,” Hermann said grimly, “Would find a way.”  And with that, he shut of the light.

 

* * *

 

Newt felt guilty when he realized he was tired of the dark.

 

* * *

 

“Um, Herm,” Newt said, lying on the bed on his stomach, head tipping over the edge, “I don’t think anyone’s cleaned under here since ever.” 

Hermann recoiled almost violently.  “That is _disgusting_ ,” he said, as if dust bunnies offended him personally.  “That is—that is—”

“Gross?” Newt suggested.

“I was going to say ‘heinous’, but I suppose ‘gross’ will do.”  Newt watched Hermann pick up his feet that were dangling over the side of the bed.

“There’s a dust bunny down here we should recruit for the jaeger program,” Newt said through a grin.  “Seriously, it could probably take a kaiju with its bare hands.  Uh, paws.”

“Ugh,” Hermann replied, seeming at a loss for a more coherent insult.  “Ugh, ugh.  Your humor repels me.”

And with that, Hermann tugged on a pair of thick socks and trudged toward the kitchen, leaving Newt by himself, giggling with his head under the bed.

 

* * *

 

“Seventeen,” Hermann gasped, Newt’s mouth on his neck.

“Muh?” Newt intelligently inquired.

“My…ah…date of birth,” Hermann answered.  “April…ah!…seventeenth.”

Newt froze.  “Fucking fuck, that was _yesterday!_ ” he exclaimed against Hermann’s collar bone.

Hermann sighed.  “And just when things were beginning to become interesting.”

“No, no, no, don’t blame this on me!  I’ve got things to do!”  Newt attempted to extricate himself from his previous entangled position, but Hermann was having none of it.

“Newton—”

“Herm—”

“If you would just—”

“You gotta lemme—”

“Would you _listen_ for once in your miserable lifetime?”  Hermann snapped.  Newt stopped wriggling.  “I don’t _want_ you to get me anything.  I would rather go spelunking with a kaiju.”

Newt snorted at the mental image.

“But what if I want to get you something?” he asked.  “Dude, you’re my friend!”

Hermann sighed.  It was a low, rattling sound.  “Turn on the lights, Newton.”

Newt, who’d been impassionedly gesturing, grew very, very still.  His pulse throbbed in his ears.

“I only ask that you do not mock me,” Hermann muttered.  “For god’s sake, man, move before I lose what little courage I ever had.”

Newt twisted to reach the light switch and flipped it on.

“Is it okay if I turn around now?” he asked.

“Yes,” Hermann answered in a strained voice.

When Newt turned around, Hermann’s eyes were squeezed shut, a pink, embarrassed flush creeping down his cheeks.  Newt bent and placed a soft kiss on the top of Hermann's mangled, scarred knee, the odd knit of muscles under the skin twisting strangely beneath his lips.  Hermann's wide brown eyes flew open. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything for your birthday?” Newt asked, cheek pressed against Hermann’s calf.

“Nothing that I don’t already have,” Hermann answered, breathless.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm barneswilson on tumblr! Come say hi :)


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